The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in last September’s Edo State election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo has members and loyalists of the party to be strong in the face of challenges confronting the party, saying they are meant to test their faith in God.
Addressing hundreds of party faithfuls during a stakeholders meeting organised by the state chapter of the party, Ighodalo said that he was focused on reclaiming the party’s mandate ‘freely given to him and his running mate’, Barrister Osarodion Ogie by the good people of the state.
He promised to reward all those who worked for the party with all sense of loyalty and appealed to them to continue to support the PDP as efforts to reclaim the stolen mandate continues.
‘We will restructure, strengthen and refocus the party. You worked for the party in total loyalty, and you will be rewarded more than appropriately. Days when people that didn’t work, who are not supposed to be rewarded are the ones that are rewarded, those days are gone’, Ighodalo assured.
He further urged all members and leaders of the PDP in the state to remain united, saying, ‘this family is a remarkable family. I haven’t had the opportunity to publicly thank everybody since the election.
‘In spite of the intimidation, in spite of the money spending, in spite of everything that they did to us, we won that election hands down.
‘I thank you all. I thank our women. I thank the youths , I thank everybody. In fact, I can’t stop thanking you. I assure everybody that by God’s grace, when we get our mandate, we will run a first class government we’ve been talking about.
‘I promise you now by the grace of God. That is what we will continue to promise the people of Edo State, and it shall be so. So help us, God. Many people want to hear about the court case. We’ve gone on appeal.
‘By the grace of God, our lawyers are doing even harder work. I trust them implicitly, and we will present our case at the court of appeal.
‘And if need be, we present our case at the Supreme Court. And God is just. So let’s all be strong. God is a just God.
‘We the people of PDP in Edo state and we the citizens of Edo state from the grassroots up, God is hearing our cries’.
The stakeholders meeting was attended by the state Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi; former Foreign Affairs Secretaty. Chief Tom Ikimi; former governor of the state, Chief Lucky Igbinedion; former deputy governor, Marvelous Omobayo; former representative of the state in the Niger Delta Development Commission, Matthew Iduoyekemen; and Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku.
Others are member House of Representatives, Hon. Marcus Onobun; former Chairman of Esan North East Local Council, Hon. John Yakubu; Senator Odion Ugbesia; and some other PDP local council chairmen, among others.
